A CATALOGUE OF ETCHINGS AND DRAWINGS BY / CHARLES MERYGN EXHIBITED AT THE GROLIER CLUB 29 EAST 32D ST., NEW YORK FROM JANUARY 28 TO FEBRUARY 19 M.D.CCC.XCVIII m^;rvon's grave at charenton. A CATALOGUE OF ETCHINGS AND DRAWINGS BY CHARLES MERYON EXHIBITED AT THE GROLIER CLUB 29 EAST 3 2D STREET, NEW YORK FROM JANUARY 28 TO FEBRUARY 1 9 M.D.CCC.XCVIII Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/catalogueofetchiOOmery A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MERYON. On the 23d of November, 1821, was born Charles Meryon, the illegitimate son of Charles Lewis Mer- yon, an English physician of old Huguenot stock (1783-1877), and Pierre NarcisseChaspoux, a French dancer, believed to have been of Spanish origin. The father (who became physician, secretary, and biographer to Lady Hester Stanhope)* subsequently took the boy^s sister with him to England, leaving the son with the mother. The latter is said to have watched affectionately and carefully over the boy, and it is recorded that at her death she left him 20,000 francs. But it is also suggested as very likely that she bequeathed to him, together with a sensitive, ardent nature, the germs of the mental disease which was to cut short his career. He early went to school at Passy, and proved an excitable and fitful scholar " from the first. Thence he was taken to Marseilles, then to Hyeres, Nice, Genoa, Pisa, Leghorn, and back to Paris. Determined to enter the navy, he went to the naval school at Brest in * For biographical sketch of the elder Meryon, see " Dic- tionary of National Biography," edited by Sidney Lee, vol. 37, London, 1894, p. 301. 3 4 A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 1837. In 1839 he sailed in the Algiers, bound for Algiers and the Levant, and at Smyrna was trans- ferred to the Montebello, He had had some ele- mentary instruction in drawing at Passy, and during this voyage was busy with his pencil; on his return to Toulon, he began to study with Cordouan, a landscape-painter. Meanwhile his mother died, and Meryon in 1842 again went to sea in the Rhin, despatched to the coast of New Zealand ; this time, too, he found many subjects for his pencil. In 1846, having served with credit, and attained the rank of lieutenant, he resigned his commission — behev- ing that his constitution was too feeble — and re- turned to Paris. Drawn to art, but still feeling his way, he, after having some lessons from one Phe- lippes, a pupil of David, undertook a large painting, '^The Assassination of Marion Dufrene, Captain of the Brulot, 1772," the cartoon of which was exhib- ited at the Salon of 1848. The insufficiency of his preparatory studies became evident, and color-blind- ness made itself felt. It was then that he met Eugene Blery, the en- graver, well known by his etchings of trees and plants, with whom he spent some months. During this period, also, he made short excursions to Eng- land, into Normandy and Eure, and to Bourges, in which latter place he became so much interested in peculiarities of architecture that he revisited it two years later (1850-51), While with Blery, he exercised himself in making copies of old mas- ters, especially Zeeman. The latter's style in views of Paris and maritime scenes (published in the A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 5 seventeenth century) deeply influenced him, and brought him to his Ufe-work, and to Zeeman he dedicated his ^'premier ouvrage," the series of etchings of Paris, issued 1852-54, on which his fame mainly rests. Meryon's manner of making his preparatory sketches for his views of Paris was peculiar. He usually drew, not one picture of the entire scene to be reproduced, but a number of small sketches, bits and details of architecture, executed with hard, finely pointed pencils, working in light strokes from the bottom upwards. These he pieced together into one harmonious whole, reproducing for us the architecture of non-Haussmanized Paris, not with cold correctness, but with a living force, as Wed- more says. *^The Paris," said an English writer, ''is not merely a set of marvelous etchings, faith- fully representing the places the artist has chosen to depict ; but beyond and beside this, it is a his- tory of the life of the city — of its busy streets and bridges, of its solitary bye-ways, its squalor and misery, of its greatness and magnificence — col- oured throughout by the personal feeling and senti- ment of the artist. It is a drama in which the personality of the author and his inmost life and thoughts are as clearly brought out as in the no- blest poem which the literature of any county can boast."* But this vision of old Paris, which raised him to the front rank of artists (the '^greatest and most original etcher" of the present century, Burty called * Burlington Fine Arts Club Catalogue [etc.] 1879, P- ^7- A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. him), found no appreciation on the part of the general public. A few discerning and appreciative friends tried to help him and to interest others in his work. Victor Hugo wrote a glowing eulogium ; "These etchings are magnificent things/' said he; "strengthen this fine imagination by all en- couragement possible. " The breath of immensity pervades the work of Meryon, and makes of his etchings not pictures merely, but visions." All to no purpose. Meryon struggled on, with his strong tenacity of purpose, but discouragement and disap- pointment began to tell upon the mind of this deh- cately organized, highly sensitive artist. Even when with Blery his mind was slightly affected, and now his whimsicality grew into a more alarming mental aberration. He quarreled with his best friends; in his imagination he was cheated by them, pursued by enemies. His work began to show the vagaries of a mind no longer under con- trol. Melancholy seized upon him, and his energy began to leave him. In 1857 the Duke of Arem- berg installed him near his chateau at Enghien, and asked him to reproduce picturesque views in the park. It was too late, however. Things came to a crisis in 1858, and he was taken to the asylum at Charenton, Saint Maurice. The good influence of the place had its effect, and he was discharged after a time. But the cure was not permanent. In October, 1866, he returned to Charenton, where he finally refused all sustenance, — there was not enough food in the world, and he was getting more than his share, said he. The end came on February 14, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 7 1868, and he was buried in the cemetery of the asylum on the following day, in the presence of a few friends. A. de Salicis, his old companion in arms, spoke some pathetic words at the grave, and Bracquemond subsequently etched an epitaph and some pictorial emblems on a large plate of copper, which rests on the tombstone lying flat on the grave. Thus died this straightforward, earnest, honest soul, an artist endowed with rare manual skill, a wondrous sense of beauty, and an unusual power of imagination," who experienced not in life the suc- cess and appreciation which he felt should be his, gratefully accepting the merest pittance for his finest plates — a franc and a half for his ^^Abside," and the whole Paris set for thirty francs, we are told ! It must not be forgotten, however, that his pov- erty was, in a measure, self imposed. Seymour Haden, in the Academy" of January 31, 1880, bears witness to the fact that those near of kin to him looked after his comforts, and an unpublished letter from his father (see No. i in the present catalogue) also shows this ; but poor Meryon evi- dently made it difficult for people to help him much. The case of Charles Meryon," wrote Hamerton, *Ms one of those painful ones which recur in every generation, to prove the fallibility of the popular judgment. Meryon was one of the greatest and most original artists who have appeared in Europe. He is one of the immortals. His name will be in- scribed on the noble roll where Durer and Rem- brandt live forever. . , . He was sorely tried by public and national indifference, and in a moment 8 A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. of bitter discouragement he destroyed the most magnificent series of his plates." ''The art of M. Charles Meryon," said Burty, ''is absolutely personal. His high originality, which is not within the comprehension of every one, proceeds from no master, from no school. ... A highly endowed nature, served by a persistent will, he . . . expressed with a wholly French clearness the intimate and supreme poetry of that old Paris which it was reserved to our generation to demolish and disfigure without pity. Architecture ... has become, under his point, what landscape is for cer- tain great masters — a poem. . . . M. Meryon preserves the characteristic detail of the architec- ture . . . ; without modifying the aspect of the monument, he causes it to express its hidden mean- ing, and gives it a broader signification by associat- ing it with his own thought. Hence the twofold power of this work." And Wedmore : " Spirits spoke to him, only too well, in every street of Paris. The stones were alive. And in every building of beauty or age, at every dark street-corner, in every bridge that spanned the breadth of Seine, in every aspect of wandering water or passing sky, there was some- thing to recall to him the fortunes of the solitary, of the disappointed, of the desperate, of the poor. His sense of these strange fortunes — of their mys- tery and tragedy — he has woven inseparably into the fabric of his work. " A LIST OF BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS CONCERNED WITH CHARLES MERYON. (ARRANGED CHRONOLOGICALLY.) Burty, Philippe. L'QEuvre de M. Charles Mer- yon. (''Gazette des Beaux-Arts," Vol. XIV, pp. 519-533, and Vol. XV, pp. 75-88, June and July, 1863.) Burty, in this article, calls attention to the notices of Mer- yon by Theophile Gautier in the " Presse " and the " Moni- teur," PaiilMantzin " L'Evdnement " and " L' Artiste," and Charles Baudelaire in the " Revue Fran9aise," and also to an article in the *• Siecle " of October 6, 1858. Hamerton, Phihp Gilbert. Meryon. (Chap. IV, covering pp. 167-176, of his '' Etching and Etch- ers, Boston, 1876.) Burty, Philippe. Les portraits de Charles Mer- yon. (In his ''Maitres et petits maitres," Paris, 1877, pp. 110-119.) Wedmore, Frederick, Meryon and Meryon's Paris. ('^Nineteenth Century,'^ Vol. Ill, pp. 863-874, May, 1878.) — Same. (In Studies in English Art," second series, London, 1880, pp. 169-202.) 9 lO A LIST OF BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. — Meryon and Meryon's Paris: with a descriptive catalogue of the artist's work. London, 1879. Edition limited to 113 copies. The ' ' Nineteenth Century " article repubhshed again, with no material changes, as an introduction to the catalogue. — Same. Second edition, revised and enlarged. London, 1892. Edition limited to 129 copies. Meryon and his Work. (^'Nation," Vol. XXVI, p. 409, June 20, 1878.) Attributed in Poole's Index to R. Sturgis. Burlington Fine Arts Club. Exhibition of a selec- tion from the work of Charles Meryon. [Cata- logue ; with an introductory sketch of Meryon's life and works.] London, 1879. Burty, Philippe. Charles Meryon, sailor, engraver, and etcher. A memoir and complete descriptive catalogue of his works. Translated from the French of Philip Burty by Marcus B. Huish. London, 1879. Haden, Francis Seymour. About etching. The Fine Art Society. [London], 1879. Contains interesting material concerning Mdryon and Haden 's visit to him. — Same. 3d edition. London [1881]. A descriptive catalogue of a collection of drawings and etchings by Charles Meryon, formed by the A LIST OF BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. II Rev. J. J. Heywood. Seventy-five copies pri- vately printed for Ellis & White, 29 New Bond Street, 1880. [London. ''Advertisement " signed F. S. Ellis.] Wedmore, Frederick. The Etchings of Meryon. (''Art Journal," London, 1881, p. 129.) Bouvenne, Aglaus. Notes et souvenirs sur Charles Meryon, son tombeau au Cimetiere de Charenton Saint Maurice. Avec un autographe, des dessins inedits, des portraits de Meryon et des gravures de Bracquemond, Bouvenne, Focil- lon et Gachet. Paris, 1883. Catalogue of the etched work of Charles Meryon. With a biographical sketch of the artist [by F. Keppel]. Frederick Keppel & Co., New York, 1886. The "biographical sketch" was reprinted in "American Etchers. Reprinted from ' The Century Magazine ' for Feb- ruary, 1883 . . by Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer. To which is added an account of Meryon and his work, by Frederick Keppel" (New York, Frederick Keppel & Co., 1886). Meryon's Etchings. ("Nation,^' Vol. XLII, p. 176, February 25, 1886.) Attributed in Poole's Index to E. Shinn. Catalogue of the collection of etchings by Charles Meryon, of M. de Salicis, deceased, late of Paris, [etc.], which will be sold by auction, by Messrs. Christie, Manson and Woods, . . . July 16, 1891. [London.] In the group of faithful ones there was an engraver of rare merit, M. Bracquemond, who also had been a friend to Meryon; it was he who understood and carried out the thought of M. de Salicis by engraving a plate of copper, ii8 centimetres in height, which was placed on the flat side of that black stone. This engraving is an allegory recalling Mer- yon's profession : at the top a skull, symbol of the departure from this earth ; below, crossed, are two extinguished torches, the date of birth and of death of the artist; in the center a branch of laurels, the leaves of which support a plate, a burin, an etching-point, a bottle of acid, indeed all of the working-tools of the etcher; at the bottom, M. Bracquemond had the happy idea of placing the vessel of the arms of the city of Paris, such as Meryon had in- vented and designed it. By this image, no doubt, he wished to re- mind us that Meryon, although of English ori- gin, was essentially Parisian by talent and in his heart. Has not M. Bracquemond been in a measure the architect of this tomb erected to one of the glories of Paris? A. Bouvenne, ''Notes et souvenirs sur Charles Meryon'' (1883), pp. 7, 8, 12 INSCRIPTION ON M^:RY0N'S TOMBSTONE. CATALOGUE. MANUSCRIPTS AND PORTRAITS OF MERYON. I MS* volume^ with title-page, in ink: Tome 11*" I Correspondance. | Lettres ecrites et re- geues. | Lettres imprimees, avis, &c. | 2^ cahier pr. 1865 I Meryon, Charles. | Graveur aqua- fortiste, ex-marin. | 20. R. Duperr6. | From the collection of Philippe Burty. 8°, faintly ruled. Cheap commercial binding, with ticket of maker : ** Dupin, Papetier." Paged 1-170 in MS. The nature of this highly interesting volume is indicated by the title. Into it Meryon copied the letters which he wrote to various people ; the writ- ing is minute and close, erasures are numerous and the elabo- rate letters run over on to extra sheets of various sizes pasted in and folded in most complicated manner to fit the size of the book. The first letter is dated 6 Nov., 1865 ; the last, July 28, 1867, from the Maison de Sant^. Inserted between the leaves are letters from various personages : Delatre and Pier- ron,his printers; Jules Niel, librarian at the Ministry of the 13 14 MANUSCRIPTS AND PORTRAITS. Interior; Ingres the painter; Baron de Nieuwerkerke, Min- ister of Fine Arts; Burty, Bracquemond, Baron Pichon, lit- terateur and collector; Bailly, Benjamin Fillon, Wasset, Laurence and others who tried in vain to assist him, often with great tact and forbearance ; de Salicis, Grenaud, and others who had served with him in the navy. Interspersed are printed circulars from societies and tradespeople, notices of funerals, etc. Towards the end, fewer documents are inserted, his letters are very frequent, long, and wandering, showing the rapid failure of his mind. The last letter is a " duplicata " addressed to the director of the Charenton asylum, and op- posite there is a slight sketch of his smaller etching of " La loi lunaire," with verses and other writing. Accompanying the volume are letters from Meryon to Burty (1861-64) re- ferring to the catalogue which Burty was making for the " Gazette des Beaux-Arts," and containing also his verses for the " Morgue," to Blery, to Zeeman, etc., and several receipts for small sums received from Burty and others for his etch- ings, etc. Among the letters in the volume two have an especially sad interest, as showing the friendly but unsuccessful at- tempts made, to the very end, to help the unhappy and un- fortunate artist. Under date of January 7, 1866, Meryon's father writes to him from London as follows [in French] : My dear friend : You leave me without news of your- self for so long that I fear you are ill. Your sister also does not write to me. Since my last letter I have had misfortunes of which the death of my dear wife was the saddest. The others relate only to money matters, which are mended by economy, but the first has prostrated me so that I have not before this had the heart to write to you. At the beginning of the new year I find myself free from debt, and I am preparing to send you two hundred francs, if you will accept them. For you will doubtless remember that the last time I sent you a small sum you accounted it as so much taken from the enemy. Eugenie does not forget you by any means. We intend, circumstances permitting, to pay you a visit next spring. Jean has married a young French girl of Smyrna and is stopping in that city at present. The photograph of yourself, so well taken, and which you MANUSCRIPTS AND PORTRAITS. 1 5 presented to me some years ago, hangs on the wall over the fire-place, in my bed-room. There I study your features every morning on rising, every evening when retiring. You much resemble your dear mother. As to Fanny, I wrote to her several months ago, asking for her photograph, but she would not grant me that favor, saying that she did not have any printed. Eugenie has changed but little ; but time has left heavy marks on me, and I exist at present only by sufferance and the good will of God. Always your friend, C. L. M. Address your letters care of Messrs. Bosanquet & Co., 73 Lombard Street, London, as formerly. Meryon, in his reply of 8th February, i866, after stating that he had not heard from his father since 1863, excepting through the visit of a M. Miranda, made in the elder M^r- yon's name, continues : I certainly feel a real pleasure in knowing that you are enjoying as good health as is possible considering, on the one hand, your advancing age, and on the other the misfortunes which have befallen you, and of which, indeed, the most painful is the death of Mme. Meryon, a loss which I too, who have retained so pleasant a recollection of her char- acter, feel with sincere and profound regret; for I have not forgotten, as I have often said to you, the happy time, free from all care, the sweetest of my childhood, v^^hich I passed in your company and that of that good and amiable lady. Then, with the words, " But, Monsieur Meryon, despite this knowledge that it is pleasant to me to address you, not- withstanding the respect which has always been inspired in me by that organizing force given to you by the Creator, to whom, as I see with pleasure, you render homage," he in- troduces several pages of rambling matter. Apologizing for his frankness, even brutality, he states that the sum sent by his father is a sort of trap set for his cupidity, a means of hastening his death, and that consequently he cannot ac- cept it ; that he does not put faith in the statement regard- l6 MANUSCRIPTS AND PORTRAITS. ing Jean, but believes that he is dead; that he does not count on the proposed visit, which he thinks would be un- profitable, useless ; that Eugenie is his pitiless enemy, etc., etc. The whole foreshadows the final catastrophe. 2 A receipt in Meryon^s writingf* Translation : *^ Received from Mr. Ph. Burty the sum of fifty francs in payment for a number of engravings and drawings made by me. Paris, this 15th December, 1864." C. M^ryon. Meryon (Charles), engraver, 20 Rue Duperre. 3 Portrait of M6ryo% by Bracquemond* Head in profile on medallion* C. Meryon. Rue No. St. -Etienne-du-Mont, 26, mdcccliv. a Proof before letters (W. 1st state)," B a C. M." in upper left hand corner. Signed in crayon by Bracquemond, who adds a note : " Very fine proof, before the plate was cut by Meryon." On green paper. b 1st state (W. 2d state). Plate cut. " B. a C. M." has disappeared. " Ch. Meryon " on the plaque. Below: Messire Bracquemond A peint en cette image Le sombre Meryon Au grotesque visage. Signed in pencil by Bracquemond with his note : " done after nature in terra-cotta manner." c 2d state (W. 3d state). The verses and the line below have disappeared, " B. a C. M." now appears in the lower left hand corner, printed in red, and the new inscription reads : "Imp. A. Delatre, Rue St. Etienne-du-Mont, No. 26." 4 Portrait of M^ryo% seated^ by Bracque- mond* Etched from life* a On green paper. One of 10 proofs. b Facsimile. With signed note in ink by Bracquemond : "Ch. Meryon, engraver. Plate destroyed. Etching after nature." Plate destroyed by Meryon. MANUSCRIPTS AND PORTRAITS. 1 7 5 Charles Meryon^ Pof trait by Flam- cng* Meryon sitting* up in bed* Facsimile of the drawing** a 1st state. Before title. In upper left-hand corner : "II [?] Mai 1858 Lp. Flameng." With pencil note below, in French; " Engraved after my drawing executed from nature a short time before the death of M^ryon. This artist at that time lived in a H6tel of the Rue des Fosses St. Jacques. L^op. Flameng." ** A short time before the death " is, of course, an error. Flameng has stated that as he proceeded with the draw- ing M^ryon became more and more excited until he (Flam- eng) had to make a speedy exit. d 2d state. With title. 6 Supposed portrait of Meryon* Etcher un- known. Bust portrait. Full-face, eyes glancing sideward. Clad in shirt open at neck, coat thrown back. Engaged in draw- ing. From the Thibaudeau collection. 2 ETCHINGS BY MERYON. It has been found most convenient to adopt the arrange- ment made by Burty (although it is not strictly chronological), as it seems best to show the artistic development of Meryon. In determining states, Wedmore has been followed unless otherwise noted. For each plate, the numbers in Burty and Wedmore are given, B. standing for Burty^s Catalogue, trans- lated by Huish (1879), and W. for Wedmore's "Meryon" (2d edition, 1892). 7 Head of Christ* B. I. W. 78. After a miniature made by filise Bruyere, from a painting by Philippe de Champagne. "This was the first attempt at etching made by Meryon, under the direction of Mons. ^X^xy:'— Burty, Unique, Manuscript note in ink by Meryon, on mount : "d'apr^s une copie d'une peinture de Philippe Champagne." 8 The Cow and the Ass* C. M. d'apres Lou- therbourg. B. 2. W. 63. 9 A Soldier^ standing, full face, with arms ex- tended and hands resting on his battle-ax. After Salvator Rosa. B. 3. W. 67a. 18 ETCHINGS. 19 10 A Soldiei^^ standing, seen in profile. W. 67. Ms. note in ink, by M^ryon: "Soldat, d'apr^s Salvator Rosa." Not described by Burty. " A Shepherd," B, 4, « A Shepherdess," W. 67<5. The only copy known belongs to Mr. Macgeorge of Glasgow. 11 The Sheep and the Flies* B. 5. W. 64. Ms. note in ink by Meryon : " d'apr^s Karel-Dujardin." 12 The Three Pi§:s before a HoveL C. M. d'apres K. D. J. B. 6. W. 65. Japan paper. 13 The Two Horses* C, M. d^apres K, D. J. B. 7. W. 66. Japan paper. II, 12, and 13 are reversed copies after etchings by Karel du Jardin. 14 Ewe and Two Lambs* K di J, V. V, A. 4, Paris. Imp. Delatre. B., p. 34. W. 62. Wedmore calls this a copy from A. Van de Velde. Burty describes it as above. Published in "L'Artiste," 15 Dec, 1861, 15 The Pavilion of Mademoiselle and a part of the Louvre at Paris* C. Meryon d'apr^s Zeeman. B. 8. W. 68. Ms. note in pencil by Meryon : " Vue du Pavilion de Ma» demoiselle et d'une partie du Louvre (vers 1650),'^ 20 ETCHINGS. 1 6 Entrance of the Faubourg of Saint Wat- ceau at Par is# B. 9. W. 69. Before letters. Pencil note by Meryon : " Entree du faubourg St. Mar- ceau a Paris (1650 environ)." ^ With " C. M. d'apres Zeeman." 17 A Water-mill near Saint Denis* C. M. d'apres Zeeman. B. 10. W. 70. Pencil note by Meryon : " Moulin a eau a St. Denis." 18 The River Seine and the Angle de Mail at Paris* B. II. W. 71. Before letters. Ms. lettering in pencil by Meryon : " C. M. 1850. De Rivier de Cijne en de houk van de Malie bain [?] tot Paris, d'apres Zeeman 1650." Nos. 15-18 are after a series of etchings by Zeeman pub- lished at Amsterdam, about 1650, by Clement de Jonghe, under the title of Veues de Paris et ses Environs. " The coppers of the two first were bought of Meryon by the en- graver, Auguste Pequegnot, and are still in existence." — Burty, 19 The Galliot of Jean de VyI at Rotterdam* B. 12. W. 72. The present copy has " C. M. d'apres Zeeman," and the angles of the plate are rounded off. It comes after B.'s 2d state. W. mentions no states. ETCHINGS. 21 20 Ffom Haarlem to Amsterdam* B. 13. W. 73. a 1st state. With " C. M. d'apr^s Zeeman." Before the angles of the copper-plate were rounded off. b 2d state. Angles of plate rounded. Only first state given by B.; noiie by W. 21 South-Sea Fishers* B. 14. W. 75. a 1st state. With " C. M. d'apr^s Zeeman." b New issue of this plate published by" L' Artiste" in 1861, with the name ** Meryon " completed by another hand. 2 2 Calais to Flushing* B. 15. W. 74. a 1st state. With " C. M. d'apr^s Zeeman," Angles of plate square. b 2d state. Angles of plate rounded, W. and B. mention no states. This and the preceding three are copies of a set of etchings by Zeeman, the set having for title, * Recueil de plusieurs navires et pay sages faits d^apres le natm^el.^ '''' 23 Entree du Couvent des Capucins Frangais a Athenes* B. 16. W. 32. a 1st state. Before letters. b 2d state. With the title as above, ** tome i, p. 76 " in the left upper corner, C. Meryon sculp.", and *^Pierron Delatre, R. Montfaucon, I." Executed for Count Ldon de Laborde's " Athenes au XVme, XVIme, et XVIIme Si^cles " (Paris, 1853). 24 La Salle des Pas Perdus* B. 17. W. 76. a W. 1st state. Plate uncut. With long inscription, be- ginning " II faut avoir examine la piece originale," and fol- 22 ETCHINGS. lowed by the signature. This comes between B/s 1st and 2d states. b B. 3d state. With " C. M^ryon sculp, d'apr^s Ducerceau^ MDCCCLV." and "Delatre R. Fg. St. Jacques, No. 81.'' The copper has been cut just below the marginal line at the bottom. The long inscription on 24a is here given in M^ryon^s handwritingy in penciL 25 Chenonceau* C. Meryon sculp, d^apres Ducerceau — A. Delatre Imp. Rue du Fg, St Jacques no. 81, Paris. B. 18. W. 77. "This very intelligent reduction of one of the plates in the second volume of 'Les plus excellents bastimens de France, par Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, Architecte a Paris,' is to be found in * L'Inventaire des meubles, bijoux et livresestans a Chenonceau, suivi d^une notice sur le Chateau de Chenon- ceau,' by the Prince Auguste Galitzin, 1856." — Burty. W. 77 a shows a different side of the castle. Mr. Macgeorge has the only impression. 26 he Pont-Neuf et la Samaritame de dessotis la I ere Arche du Pont-au-Chang-e^ B. 19. W. 29. a Trial proof, without sky, and with top, over center of arch, unfinished. White space around head of man fishing. d Trial proof, with a delicate sky. Top completed. B.'s 1st state. c Proof, Bottom marginal line strengthened and com- pleted. Space around head of man fishing is now filled in. Bs's 2d state. d W.'s "pubhshed state." B.'s 2d state. With title, as above, and " C. Meryon sculp, d'apr^s un dessin de Nicolle, tir6 du cabinet de Monsieur Destailleurs, Architected Imp. A. Delatre, Rue Fg. St. Jacques, 81." ETCHINGS. 23 27 Le Pont au Change, vei^s iJM* B. 20. W. 28. « Trial proof. Before the sky. Before the rope. d With the rope. Before letters. Apparently W.'s 1st, B.'s 2d state. c With title as above, and "C. M^ryon, sculp. mdcccl5 d'apr^s un dessin de Nicolle. A. Delatre Imp. rue du Fg. St. Jacques, no 81." Apparently W.'s 2d, B.'s 3d state. B. and W. give a fuller and somewhat different inscription, thus: "... dessin de Nicolle, tire du cabinet de M. Destailleur, architecte. Imp. A. Delatre, Faub. St. Jacques, No. 81." See also No. 113. 28 Plan du Combat de Sinope, d'apres le dessin d'un officier du navire Anglais " Retribution." C. Meryon sculp. A. Delatre Imp. Rue de la Bucherie, n. 6. B. 21. W. 79. Colored. " This plan, which shows the respective positions of the Russian and Turkish fleets, was intended to illustrate a work which was never published." — Burty. " The impressions, generally coloured, were published by Tanera. " — Wedmore, 29 San Francisco, MDCCCLV* C. M6ryon del. sculp. Paris, 1856. A Delatre Imp. Rue Fg. Poissonniere, 145. B. 22. W. 80. " The commission for the plate was given to Meryon by two bankers, Messrs. T. R. Bayerque and A. Pioche, whose portraits fill two medallions and whose initials are placed on escutcheons. The arched frame, supported by the figure of * Work ' seated on mining tools, and * Abundance ' reclining on fruits of various kinds, was not placed there for allegori- 24 ETCHINGS. cal or ornamental purposes merely, but principally in order to fill up a large gap which occurred in the five little daguer- reotype plates which had been furnished to Meryon as a basis for his design. These plates having been taken on the spot, but at different hours of the day, showed in some the light com- ing from the right, in others from the left. This troubled him greatly, as did the whole plate, which, in fact, hastened on the course of his malady. . . . The steel on which this mag- nificent yet extraordinary design was drawn is still in exis- tence." — Burty. For drawings, see No. 107. 30 View of the Ruins of the Chateau of Pietf e- fonds* B. 23. W. 81. Burty catalogues a 1st state; "Before much subsequent working on the plate in dry point," and a 2d state : " With these additions." The plate here shown is presumably B.*s 1st state. It is signed " C. M." " This facsimile of a sketch from nature of Monsieur E, Viollet le Due was etched by Meryon during his first con- finement in the asylum at Charenton." — Burty, 31 RtiePirottette-aiJx-Halles^ B. 24. W. 30. ^ 2d state (B.'s 2d). " C. M. et L."on chimney to the right. Inscription '*Jamet M^ Maree. Bains de Mer Dieppe, [etc.]" on wall at right. Title: "Rue Pirouette. i860." Rare, says W. 20 impressions, says B. On Japanese paper. b 4th state (B.'s 3d). Title as above, "Laurence del. Mer- yon sculp.," and, under the title, " Delatre imp. R. S. J. 265." " C. M. et L." has disappeared from the chimney. New inscription (fragmentary) on wall at the right: "Aux no. Cana. Martinga Restaura." c 5th state (B.'s 4th). Inscription on wall at right again changed to: "Aux no. Gama. Sacoch, [etc.]" Also, "Lau- rance et Meryon " appears on wall in upper left hand cor- ner, which is not noted in either W. or B. " He used the burin in this plate to a considerable de- gree , . . The copper is in existence." — Burty, ETCHINGS. 25 32 Presentation to King Louis XL of the "Work Valere Maxime^ printed at Paris about 1475. B. 25. W. 82. Signed "C. M. sc.," which signature, according to Burty, " constitutes the mark of a 4th state." No states in W. After a miniature which belonged to Niel. "The plate is in existence. "—S^r^jj/. 33 Chevet de St* Martm-suf-Renelle^ figlise par- oissiale Supprimee en 1791. B. 26. W. 83. a Trial proof. With « Polydes Langlois, 1837. C. M." d With title, as above, and " Polydes Langlois, 1837. C. M. 21 Octobre, i860. Imp. Delatre. Imp. r. des Feuillantines 4." At top of plate: " Memoires de la Societe des Anti- quaires de Normandie T. xxiv." B.'s 2d state; no states in W. 34 Passerelle du Pont au Change apres Pln- cendie de i62t (d'apres un dessin du temps tir6 de la collection de M{ Bonnardot). B. 27. W. 84. a 1st state. (B.'s 4th.) Before letters. Signature C. M. followed by an L in a triangle, which, Burty tells us, is the stamp of the collection Lagoy, and appeared in some proofs, being subsequently erased. ^ 2d state. (B.'s 5th). With title as above, and " Imp. Delatre, r. des Feuillantines, 4, Paris." An impression on green paper, before the plate was put in press for the Gazette des Beaux-Arts," in which it appeared on Nov. I, i860 (Vol. viii, opp. p. 156). Title is in small caps, as in B.'s 6th state ! 35 Paftie de la Ciil de Paris^ vers la fin du 26 ETCHINGS. XVI le Siecle, sur la rive gauche de la Seine, entre le Pont Ne. Dame et le Pont-au-Change. B. 28. W. 31. a Trial proof. (B.'s 2d trial proof.) Sky unfinished on the left. Towers of Notre Dame inserted. Smoke issuing from two chimneys on the right. Unlettered board over gables on extreme right. b 2d state. Words " Au Cana'^ in inscription on 1st state on board over gables (" Au Cana, C. M^ryon, restaura Paris an de gra, 1861 ") have been removed. Meryon here indulges in a favorite trick of having the margin of the plate pass through an inscription, so that the words at the ends of the lines are fragmentary. c 3d state. The inscription on the board is replaced by "Au Repu. Le Sobre resta. Poisson fr." With title as above, followed by a long note beginning, " N. B. Sui- vant toute probabilite,'^ and with " {Le dessin fait partie de la collection de Bonnardot,) Chez Rochoux, Quai de PHorloge, 19. Delatre Imp. r. des Feullantines, 2, Paris." "This etching," says Burty, "afforded to M^ryon's friends one of the most convincing proofs of his unfortunate malady. In spite of their counsels, and of the advice of Mons. Bon- nardot, who washed him to keep to the original design, Meryon pretended that the towers of Notre Dame, and the chimneys of the houses, had been effaced in the original drawing by evil-disposed persons, and he insisted on placing them in his etching; thus transgressing historical accuracy with a persistency which could leave no doubt in any one's mind as to his mental condition." 36 Le Grand Chatelet a Paris^ d'apres un des- sin execute vers 1780, qui fait partie de la col- lection de Berard. B. 29. W. 85. 1st state. (B.'s 2d.) Before letters. " 20 proofs were taken of this state. "— .^^/r^. b 2d state. (B.'s 3d.) Title, as above, and " C. M. sculp. 1861. Pierron Imp. r. Montfaucon I. Chez Rochoux, Quai de I'Horloge, 19." ETCHINGS. 27 37 Vue de rancien Louvre du Cot6 de la Seine (J65 ♦ ♦) Peint par R. Zeeman. Grave par C. M. 1866. Chalcographe Imp\^ du Louvre. B. 30. W. 60. ^ Proof before letters. No sky. Signed in pencil, " C. M. 3 Nov. 1865." b 1st state. Before letters. Ms. note **a Monsieur Reiset," by C. M^ryon. c 2d state. With full inscription as above. " The copper of this etching is in the Calcographie Na- tionale at the Louvre." — Burty, 38 Eaux-Forts sm Paris par C. Meryon. MDCCCLIL B. 31. W. I. Title, printed on green paper, of Meryon's principal work, which latter is entered under Nos. 38 to 61 in the present catalogue. 39 A Reinief^ dit Zeeman^ Peintfe et Eaa-for- tien C. Meryon fecit MDCCCLIV. Imp. Rue neuve St. Etienne-du-Mont no. 26. B. 32. W. 2. Dedication of the Paris set; 42 lines of verse, beginning " Peintre des matelots." 40 Old Gate of the Palais de Justice* B. 33. W. 3. a Proof before letters. (B. ist state.) Printed with the "Tombeau de Moliere,*' which was engraved on the same plate. (See No. 61.) b 1st state (B. 2d). Before letters. Now divided from the " Tombeau," and the plate cut down. c 2d state (B. 3d). With « Paris. C. Meryon. fit. MDCCCLIV. Imp. Rue Ne. St. -Etienne-du-Mont, no. 26." 28 ETCHINGS. 41 Qu^ Ame pure Rougfisse^ C. M. mdcccliv. Meryon imp. Rue neuve St.-Etienne-du Mont no. 26. B. 34. W. 4. Twenty-one lines of verse, beginning : " Qu'ame pure rougisse, Mais ci pour frontispice Je prends noir Diablotin." Subsequently, the word rougisse was altered to gemisse, 42 Arms of the City of Paris* B. 35. W. 5. A shield, on which a galley is sailing toward the right. a Proof before letters. Plate uncut. b Proof before letters. Plate cut down close to etching on both sides. Presentation copy. Note in ink : "A Monsieur Niel — faible temoignage de reconnaissance pour le genereux appui et les encouragements qu'il m'a donnas, pendant 1' execution de ce premier ouvrage. " Son tr^s humble et bien devout serviteur et ami " C. Meryon. " 13 Mars, 1855." c Publication state, with "C. Meryon ft. MDCCCLIV. Imp. Rue Ne. St. Etienne du Mont 26." On green paper. 43 Fkctuat nec Mergitun MDCCCLI-IV. C. M. B. 36. W. 6. A shield, with galley sailing toward the spectator. a The etching. b A woodcut copy. The oars are raised here, instead of being lowered, as in the etching. This, according to Burty, appeared in the "Gazette des Beaux- Arts " of 1864, and was subsequently printed on the ETCHINGS. 29 cover of the " Paris Guide, par les principaux ^crivains et artistes de la France, 1867." For drawing, see No. 108. 44 Le Sttyge* B. 37. W. 7. a 1st state (B.'s 2d). Initials" C. M." on chimney at bot- tom of oval. Under the oval, on the left: "C. Meryon del. sculp." and MDCCCLIII " (reversed) ; on the right : " A. Delatre imp. rue de la bucherie, 6." Underneath, the lines " Insatiable vampire, 1' eternelle Luxure Sur la grande Cite convoite sa pature, « C. M." " Very few impressions." — Wedmore. On green paper. <5 2d state. (B.'s 3d.) Plate slightly reduced in size. The lines of verse removed. c 4th state. All lettering is erased except " C. M." inside the oval, and near these initials appears the number "I." Just below the oval, in very minute capitals, " A. Delatre Imp. R. S. Jacques 265.", and under that the title " Le Stryge." Presumably a later state than Burty's 4th. Regarding the figure " I," Wedmore says : " In this way Meryon numbered in their last regular tirage, and always in- side the line of the picture, the twelve principal pieces of his set of* Paris,' of which twelve this is the first." 45 Le Petit Pont* B. 38. W. 8. a 1st state. Before the initials "C. M." in the upper right hand corner, and before the bottom marginal line. Signed in pencil: "C. Meryon 1850." b 2d state. With the initials and the bottom marginal line. The later states have title and other lettering. On green paper. 46 L'Afche du Pont Notre-Dame, B. 39. W. 9. a 1st state. B.'s 1st state, described as " with cross-hatch- ing on the under-side of the arch." 30 ETCHINGS. b 2d state (W.'s ist). With " C. Meryon del. sculp, imp. Rue ne. St. Etienne du Mont 26" below, on the left, and " Paris 1853 " on the right. Both on green paper. 47 La Galerie de Notre-Dame* B. 40. W. 10. a Trial proof. Houses and sky seen betv/een the arches, and the upper one of the two jackdaws flying between the columns, all unfinished. Pencil note: "Tr^s belle 6preuve d'essai par Ch. Meryon. Aug. Delatre." On green paper. b 1st state. (B. 2d.) Unfinished portions now com- pleted ; some of the birds in the distance erased. Below, on the left: " C. Meryon del. sculp. 1853 "; on the right: "Imp. Rue Ne. St. Etienne-du-Mont, 26." c Same, on green paper. Subsequent states have title and some chang*^s in lettering. 4S La Rue des Mauvais Gargons* B. 41. W. II. ^ 1st state, before letters. b 2d state. With " Meryon Imp. Rue Ne. St. Etienne- du-Mont 26 " along the right side of the plate, inside of the marginal line, " M " in the lower left hand corner, on a stone, and at the top 12 lines of verse, beginning : " Quel mortel habitait," with date "Paris, Mars LIV." Pencil note, " demoli. 185 1," " Both states are rare." — Wedmore. 49 La Tour de V HorIo§;e» B. 42. W. 12. a Trial proof, before all letters, and before marginal lines. <5 1st state. With " C. M." in the right upper corner. On green paper. c 3d state. With marginal lines at bottom and on both sides. d 4th state. Title as above, and " A. Delatre imp. Rue S. Jacques, 265." Initials " C. M." replaced by Meryon's mon- ETCHINGS. 31 ogram. Figure " 5 " in left lower corner. Various changes : Figures added on the scaffolding in the center, the round building on the bridge in the distance to the right has been removed, two beams of hght stream through windows across the center of the picture, the roof of the "Tour," hitherto white, is now shaded, signs are put up against the buildings, and there are changes on the bridge. 50 TourcUc, Rue dc la Tixeranderie, demolie en B. 43. W. 13. a Proof before letters. (B. 1st state.) Pencil sketch of a part of the " Tourelle " on the same sheet. 3 1st state (B. 2d). With " C. M." in the right upper corner. On green paper. 51 Samt-Etienne-du-Mont» B. 44. W. 14. a Trial proof. d 1st state (B. 1st). « C. M." in right upper corner. Un green paper. ^ 2d state (B. 2d.) The arms and head of the workman on the lowest planks of the scaffolding are erased d 5th state. (B. 4th. ) The arms of the workman are re- A f?!, ' fgam/eaching upward, but with the hands far apart. At the top of the building to the right: "St. E^e du Mont et 1 ancien College de Montaigu." To the left, below, on one of the posters on the wall: "A. Delatre imprimeur taille- douce eau-forte R. S Jacques 265." In the left lower corner the number " 7," Slight additional work on the fa- gade of the church. For drawing, see No. iii. 52 La Pompe Notre-Dame* 1852* B. 45. W. 15. yon Tss^i ^^^^^^ ^Qtters. Signed, in pencil, " C. IMer- 32 ETCHINGS. b Proof (B. 1st state). Below, reversed : " C. M^ryon, ft. — R. Nve. St. Etienne-du-Mont, 26" on the right, and " 1852 " on the left. On green paper. c 1st state (B. 2d). Inscription now properly placed: **C. Meryon ft.— Imp. R. Ne. St. -Etienne-du-Mont 26" on the left, and " 1852 " on the right. ** The plate is now enriched with burin work, and is in its finest state." — Wedmore. d 2d state (B. 3d). Added lettering: "Public par I'ar- tiste^' under left corner, "La Pompe Notre Dame" in the centre below, and Impe A. Delatre R. St. Jacques 176" under right corner. e 4th state (B. 5th). Roof of the "Pompe" shaded. Lettering now replaced by "La pompe Notre Dame 1852" (in small capitals) and "A. Delatre Imp. R. S. Jacques 265 " below, " CM." in right upper corner, and " 8 " in left lower corner. 53 The Little Purnp^ B. 46. W. 16. A fantastical border surrounding 14 lines of verse, begin- ning " C'en est fait," with date below " MDCCCLIV." " Composed," says Burty, "as a frontispiece to the second part of the Paris Views." a Trial proof. Margin of copper not cleaned. b Proof. (B. 1st state.) Before work noted under c Only issued state. Title as above, and " Meryon. C. M. f. Imp. R. Ne. St. Etienne-du-Mont 26." Various changes : the water spouted by the dolphins above and the overflow from the cups both more strongly accentuated, more shading on the pump, and rays issuing from the letters "P" and " N.D." 54 Le Pont NeuL B. 47. W. 17. a Trial proof. Sky and houses in centre unfinished ; no smoke rising from the chimneys ; the tall chimney to the right is wanting ; no birds in the sky. Before marginal line at bottom. ETCHINGS. 33 3 1st state. (B. 4th.) Portions wanting in preceding are present here. Below, on the left, "C. Meryon del. sculp. 1853 " ; on the right, " Imp. A. Delatre Rue de la Bucherie No. 6." Below, eight lines of verse, beginning" Ci git du vieux Pont-Neuf." On green paper.